Los Osos CSD taking applications for 2 new board members. Why no election?
The Los Osos Community Services District Board of Directors is accepting applications for two new members in lieu of an election, according to a staff report.
Los Osos is divided into five districts, and each is represented by one CSD board member. The CSD manages water services, emergency response, parks and recreation, solid waste collection and street lighting.
Director Troy Gatchell, who holds the District 3 seat, and Director Marshall Ochylski, who holds the District 5 seat, will not run for re-election this fall. The board will accept applications for their replacements until Sept. 25 at 4 p.m.
The board will publicly interview the applicants and select the new board members at its Oct. 3 meeting, the staff report said.
Why will CSD board appoint new members?
The deadline to file for election for all county offices was Aug. 9, unless the incumbent didn’t file for re-election. In those cases, the filing deadline was extended to Aug. 13.
Though Gatchell and Ochylski currently serve on the board, they are not legally considered incumbents because they were not elected by their current districts. Instead, they were chosen during an at-large election that included all Los Osos CSD voters, the staff report said.
Ochylski was first elected in 2008 and Gatchell in 2020, both before the CSD transitioned to district elections in 2021, CSD general manager Ron Munds said.
That meant the filing deadline was Aug. 9 — not Aug. 13 — for the District 3 and 5 seats.
Two people tried to file for election between Aug. 9 and 13, but the county rejected their applications, the staff report said.
Because no one filed for election before the deadline, the CSD board now must appoint replacements for the District 3 and 5 seats.
Candidates can find the application online at bit.ly/3zgwwIK. Drop off the application in the CSD’s drop-box at 2122 9th St., Suite 110, or email it to ldurban@losososcsd.org.
The board will discuss the application and appointment process at its Thursday meeting.
People can attend the 6 p.m. meeting online at us02web.zoom.us/j/87436285253#success or in Los Osos at 2122 9th St., Suite 106.
This story was originally published September 3, 2024 at 11:36 AM.
